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Tourist Visa After a Residency Permit in the Schengen Zone

How to receive a tourist visa after a residency permit in the Schengen zone Well, when those residency permits end so does your right to be in the Schengen zone. While the bad news is that while you can’t change from a residency permit to a tourist visa from within the zone, the good news [...]

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How to receive a tourist visa after a residency permit in the Schengen zone

Well, when those residency permits end so does your right to be in the Schengen zone. While the bad news is that while you can’t change from a residency permit to a tourist visa from within the zone, the good news is that you can leave and return for fresh 90 day tourist C visas (on arrival entry stamps).

Typically, as you know, if you stay in the Schengen zone for 90 days on a tourist visa you have to stay on the outside for at least 91 days before returning, but this is different if you are on a residency permit and then leave and return for a tourist visa. Though I would not recommend doing a mass visa run with 70 people, as what I am telling you may be a bit of a grey area in the rules.

Keep in mind that this generally works, but there are different interpretations of the Schengen rules by the various immigration bodies that are set up to enforce them. With 25 countries all enforcing the rules slightly differently many travelers have been caught in the gaps of interpretation, so to speak. I would recommend not exiting the region through Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, or any Scandinavian country when finally leaving the Schengen region after your tourist visas are up. Italy and France tend to be the laxest with their interpretation of Schengen immigration law.

This is the best that I can help. If you could report back and let me know how everything works out for you and your crew then I could better pass on the word to other travelers. Thanks!

More information about Schengen visa and Hungary

Schengen visa questions
Hungary visa
Hungary travel guide

Map of Europe -- the Schengen zone is eating it all up

Complete question about receiving a tourist visa after a residency permit in the Schengen zone

About 70 teachers in Hungary, most of us from the US. We have residency permits (usually for 1 or 2 years) that expire during the summer after school is over. How can we legally stay on and travel for a bit afterwards without running afoul of the Schengen authorities?

Do you have a Schengen visa question?

If so, then take a look at our Schengen visa community forum. It’s a community just for people who have questions or concerns related to Europe’s Schengen immigration zone.
Filed under: Hungary, Schengen Zone, Visas

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I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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  • fernando May 22, 2012, 12:12 pm

    Iam at polish residente with permite card, but i wonder if can at work at other country of the EU please help .

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  • Lachie September 12, 2012, 11:02 am

    Hi Wade,

    I am currently in the South of France very close to the Italian border. At the moment I am on an Australian working holiday visa for 12 months. It is expiring at the end of the month. I wish to then travel for 90 days around the EU. I have been working on Super Yachts in the med so I have actually left the Schengen Zone in this period. Is it possible to continue to stay here after the visa expires for the 90 days or do you think I should fly to the UK or Ireland then re enter flying into Milan Italy to commence the tourist visa? I would really appreciate the help I have so far sent about 15 emails to different French departments and embassy and have only got 2 very vague replies but after living in France it is something that I have come to expect!

    Hope you can shed some light on the situation

    Many thanks

    Lachie.

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    • Wade Shepard September 12, 2012, 11:06 am

      If you exit before your working holiday visa expires then re-enter after it expires you should be given a tourist visa. That’s the official rule, anyway. Though keep in mind that it’s sometimes interpreted differently by various immigration departments/ officers.

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